By Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D.

Elastic bands present a novel type of resistance that places appreciable stress on muscle tissue, inflicting appreciable good points in muscle mass and energy that’s corresponding to free weights.

I’m at all times in search of distinctive methods to reinforce my coaching and alter it up slightly bit. Nicely, surprisingly I got here throughout a couple of nice articles that spotlight the distinctive muscle-building qualities offered by resistance coaching with elastic bands. These research clearly show that elastic resistance coaching produces a essentially totally different coaching stimulus when in comparison with free weights or machines, making it a superb various for lean muscle progress and energy.

Extra Muscle Is Activated

Free weights and elastic resistance essentially differ as a result of free weights present fixed resistance all through your complete vary of movement, whereas elastic bands present better resistance during the motion. This happens as a result of the band is stretched all through the motion, inflicting elevated rigidity inside the band that generates better resistance because the vary of movement will increase. This type of dynamic resistance from elastic bands gives advantages over free weights that may be clearly demonstrated in workout routines such because the bench press. Since better muscular power happens within the preliminary section of the bench press, better momentum is generated all through the remainder of the motion when utilizing free weights. As soon as the load has constructed up momentum within the preliminary section, the muscle fibers don’t should be maximally activated to proceed shifting the load all through the remainder of the motion, thus diminishing the coaching impact. Nevertheless, the rise in resistance generated from elastic bands negates the manufacturing of momentum – disallowing the momentum-driven propulsion of the bar by way of the remainder of the motion and creating a requirement for better muscle exercise that finally stimulates better muscle progress. This impact from elastic resistance was clearly demonstrated in a examine by Jalal et al.¹ that confirmed a 15% improve in muscle exercise throughout elastic resistance coaching when in comparison with free-weight coaching. Furthermore, the comparability between elastic coaching and free-weight coaching additionally confirmed a significantly greater stage of muscle activation within the later phases of the motion – supporting the concept the ascending power from elastic bands diminished momentum, inflicting muscle activation all through your complete concentric section of the motion.

Better Muscle Pressure

Elastic resistance naturally produces a better quantity of rigidity on the muscle in comparison with free weights as a result of, as beforehand acknowledged, it has the capability to attenuate momentum – inflicting better muscle exercise all through your complete motion, which successfully will increase the period of time the muscle is underneath rigidity. As well as, elastic bands additionally produce resistance impartial of gravity, which fails to supply rigidity on the muscle throughout particular phases of sure lifts. For instance, free-weight biceps curls produce little or no muscle rigidity on the prime of the concentric section as a result of outstanding horizontal motion of the load that not creates gravitational resistance. Then again, the exactly positioned use of elastic bands – that causes the elastic materials to be stretched for your complete motion – locations resistance on the biceps all through your complete vary of movement. The continual rigidity from elastic resistance coaching ought to stimulate better muscle progress, because it has been nicely documented² that better time underneath rigidity potently will increase mechanical rigidity on the muscle cell. Elevated mechanical rigidity on the muscle cell produces extra muscle cell injury and/or elevated metabolic stress, which powerfully enhances lean muscle mass. Clearly demonstrating the flexibility of elastic bands to construct lean mass, a examine by Colado et al.³ discovered that elastic resistance is as efficient if not higher than free weights or resistance machines at rising each lean physique mass and energy.

Muscle Injury Promotes Lean Muscle Development

Train-induced muscle injury stimulates many alternative mobile and molecular mechanisms that trigger the muscle cell to develop and grow to be extra highly effective.⁴ For instance, muscle injury prompts the inflammatory response – inflicting totally different immunological cells, such because the macrophage, emigrate to the broken muscle tissue, consequently facilitating muscle cell restore and progress.⁵ Moreover, exercise-induced muscle injury stimulates IGF-1 activation of the enzyme mTOR, which triggers muscle cell protein synthesis⁶, enhancing the hypertrophic response to resistance coaching.

Whereas muscle injury following eccentric contractions and bouts of unaccustomed train has been nicely established^7,8,9, solely just lately has a examine regarded on the affect that elastic resistance coaching has on muscle injury. This examine by Aboodarda et al.¹⁰ confirmed that elastic resistance coaching induced an identical quantity of muscle injury when in comparison with Nautilus machine resistance. Whereas the underlying mechanism of those findings is unknown, a possible clarification for this consequence might have been uncovered in one other examine by Cronin et al.¹¹, which demonstrated a substantial improve in muscle exercise inside the quadriceps muscle throughout the eccentric section of leg extensions whereas utilizing elastic resistance. As a result of the compelled lengthening of the muscle cell that happens throughout the eccentric section creates essentially the most in depth muscle injury^12,13, this better stage of muscular contraction throughout the eccentric section whereas utilizing elastic bands almost certainly encourages appreciable muscle injury. Apparently, this better stage of muscle exercise throughout the eccentric section of the leg extension could also be as a result of huge recoil power generated from the totally stretched elastic band that happens proper firstly of the eccentric section. Taken collectively, these outcomes show comparable potential between elastic bands and free weight/machine coaching to create adequate muscle pressure that induces muscle injury and finally muscle progress.

Elastic bands present a novel type of resistance that places appreciable stress on muscle tissue, inflicting appreciable good points in muscle mass and energy that’s corresponding to free weights. As well as, as a result of the elastic resistance power is so essentially totally different from free-weight resistance, each approaches might be concurrently used throughout your exercise to create a mixture of forces that place better preliminary pressure on the muscle whereas sustaining maximal pressure on the musculature all through your complete motion – producing exceptional good points in energy and dimension.¹⁴

References:

1. Jalal FY, et al. Resultant muscle torque and electromyographic exercise throughout excessive depth elastic resistance and free weight workout routines. EJSS 2013;13(2): p. 155-163.

2. Pinto RS, et al. Impact of vary of movement on muscle energy and thickness. J Power Cond Res 2012;26(8): p. 2140-5.

3. Colado JC and Triplett NT. Results of a short-term resistance program utilizing elastic bands versus weight machines for sedentary middle-aged ladies. J Power Cond Res 2008;22(5): p. 1441-8.

4. Schoenfeld, B.J. Does exercise-induced muscle injury play a task in skeletal muscle hypertrophy? J Power Cond Res 2012;26(5): p. 1441-53.

5. McGinley C, Shafat A, and Donnelly AE. Does antioxidant vitamin supplementation defend in opposition to muscle injury? Sports activities Med 2009;39(12): p. 1011-32.

6. Guillet C, et al. Impaired anabolic response of muscle protein synthesis is related to S6K1 dysregulation in aged people. Faseb J 2004;18(13): p. 1586-7.

7. Clarkson PM and Hubal MJ. Train-induced muscle injury in people. Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 2002;81(11 Suppl): p. S52-69.

8. Linnamo V, et al. Neuromuscular responses to explosive and heavy resistance loading. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2000;10(6): p. 417-24.

9. Newham DJ, et al. Ultrastructural modifications after concentric and eccentric contractions of human muscle. J Neurol Sci 1983;61(1): p. 109-22.

10. Aboodarda SJ, et al. Muscle energy and injury following two modes of variable resistance coaching. J Sports activities Sci Med, 2011;10: p. 635-642.

11. Cronin J, McNair PJ and Marshall RN. The results of bungy weight coaching on muscle perform and practical efficiency. J Sports activities Sci 2003;21(1): p. 59-71.

12. Clarkson PM, et al. Muscle soreness and serum creatine kinase exercise following isometric, eccentric, and concentric train. Int J Sports activities Med 1986;7(3): p. 152-5.

13. Gibala MJ, et al. Myofibrillar disruption following acute concentric and eccentric resistance train in strength-trained males. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 2000;78(8): p. 656-61.

14. Anderson CE, Sforzo GA and Sigg. The results of mixing elastic and free weight resistance on energy and energy in JA athletes. J Power Cond Res 2008;22(2): p. 567-74.